


Linear

by orphan_account



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon-Typical Violence, Good Dad Jack, M/M, More tags to be added, PA!Rhys, Pining, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, The violence tag is specifically for later chapters, Trans Female Character, maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-06 18:13:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18393707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Time is usually seen as linear - one straight line from a single point to another. Life and death, day to night, they’re seen as things that have always happened and will continue to happen.Despite the constant push between the humans of this world that time is, in fact, linear, there are places - galaxies, universes, whatever - where it is common knowledge that time isn’t as linear as we would like to believe.------------First time writing in a literal year, so bear with me. Helpful Feedback is always appreciated. Updates depend on motivation!Playlist for this fic - https://spoti.fi/2U2NorR





	1. I

Time is usually seen as linear - one straight line from a single point to another. Life and death, day to night, they’re seen as things that have always happened and will continue to happen.  
Despite the constant push between the humans of this world that time is, in fact, linear, there are places - galaxies, universes, whatever - where it is common knowledge that time isn’t as linear as we would like to believe.  
  
Souls and lives go through cycles, leaping between different timelines and universe, different galaxies and spaces, like leaves changing through the seasons. It’s said that your soul will find the one it longs for, one of the only constants through your many lives. The concept of soulmates isn’t a new idea - everybody wishes that they had someone that their soul fit snugly next to - and it’s primarily a romantic idea. Soulmates may not specifically be romantic - familial and platonic soulmates exist in droves. Some people may have multiple soulmates, so may have none, and that’s alright.  
  
Soulmates are common knowledge among humans, but memories regarding past lives are often few and far in between. Only a lucky, or unlucky if you see it that way, few have memories regarding the lives they had before their current. The ones with memories would usually try and find their other halves as soon as possible, but finding them was always hard. Until they saw their mate’s symbols, the markings signifying it was them, there was practically no way to tell.  
  
Finding your other half could be hard. It could be scary and horrifying, but most of all, it could be absolutely wonderful, and that’s what everyone hoped for.  
  
This story is about two men who’s souls continue to meet, despite how much the odds were stacked against them and how much the universe would try and keep them apart.  
  
This is the story of Jack and Rhys.

* * *

 

 **_BREEP BREEP BREEP BR-_ ** ****  
****  
A hand slammed onto the blaring alarm clock as the owner let out a soft groan at the thought of having to climb out of bed. The hand removed itself from the alarm, bringing itself to a man’s face, dragging down slowly as he attempted to wake himself. Eyes wearily opened, the lids sticking together slightly as he rose from a restless slumber. More memories had flooded his senses over the night, this time it had been more about his first cycle.  
  
As he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, blankets pushed back and pillows falling to the floor, his brain kicked into autopilot as he began his morning routine. Shower, coffee, breakfast… These actions passed through his skull without a second thought as he thought of the influx of memories dealt to him that night.  
  
He had been sitting in his office on Helios, propped up on his desk with his arms crossed as Rhys sat in the chair, talking to him about meetings and general updates on the business's scheduling. His eyes traced Rhys’ face as the younger spoke, a small smile on his face as he listened. Rhy’s eyes trailed up to Jack’s eyes, his words catching in his throat as he gave a sheepish smile.  
  
“What?” His voice was soft - caring. The older man chewed on his lip, adjusting himself to fully be facing the other before he reached a hand out, cupping the taller one’s cheek in his hand. A thumb brushing over his jawline, he smiled as he opened his mouth to speak.  
  
“I-”  
  
Jack was snapped out of his memory as a door slammed shut in his home, his eyes snapping up from what he was cooking - bacon, he thought - to look down the hall where the noise came from. After a few moments, his daughter, Angel, groggily walked out of the hallway, dressed in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants. Judging by her appearance, he had to guess she had been up studying for exams the night before. He turned his attention back to his food as she walked around the large island in the middle of their kitchen, mumbling a tired “Mornin’” as she grabbed the coffee grinds from the cupboard above her head.  
  
Jack was the first to speak up as he finished the bacon and moved onto other things, preparing food for Angel as well as himself.  
  
“So,” He began, glancing at her from the side of his eye, “What time did you get to bed?” He smirked slightly as the younger woman grunted, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand as she began to boil water next to him. She hesitated as she answered, thinking it over for a moment before speaking.  
  
“Uh,” Her voice was slightly rougher than usual from sleep, he noticed, “‘Round 4.” She looked at him, an eyebrow raised. “What about you?”  
  
He paused, his brows furrowing as he tried to remember when he went to bed. Glancing at the clock on the stove, the time blinked ‘9:17 AM’ in a soft green. He frowned slightly - He’d be late to work at this point.  
  
“Around 2.” He hummed, finishing up cooking and quickly plating some things for his daughter before packing up the food in a small box for himself to take to work. He leaned over and kissed her temple as she worked the french press groggily. He’d get coffee on the way to the office - he didn’t have time to wait for her to finish up. Walking around to the living room, he sat down and quickly slipped on his shoes, grabbing his keys and laptop bag before rushing to the door. As he grabbed the handle and swung open the front door, he leaned back to look at Angel, who was nursing a cup of coffee in her hands at the island.  
  
“Love you, Cupcake, remember to take your shot today!” She waved him off with a nod before he quickly made his way out of the house and down the driveway to his car, hopping in and starting it up as fast as he could. While he wasn’t the owner of Hyperion at this moment, he was relatively high in the ranking. Unlike the first cycle, murder is usually frowned upon in this one, so he generally had to make his wake up with shady deals and tough work, unlike how he only had to kill Tassiter in his first few runs. He scowled at the thought of that bastard still running the company - It was his right, through all his lives, there had been few constants, and Hyperion had been one of them. _Owning_ Hyperion had been one of them.  
  
Now, he had to kiss ass and bat a pretty eye until he reached the top and it was absolute hell. That wasn’t what Handsome Jack was meant to do - He was meant to rule his company with an iron fist, to make people shake in their boots and bring as much pretty new tech into the world as he could. Now, he was stuck as the head of the programming department, and as much as he loved to program things, he loved to be at the top more.  
  
Licking his chapped lips, he gripped the steering wheel as he pulled into Hyperion’s employee parking and turned off his car, leaning back in the seat for a moment to take a deep breath and calm down. Today had started out rough, but that didn’t mean it had to continue to be rough. Taking a moment to calm down, he grabbed his box of food and bag before quickly setting off towards the building. It would be alright.

* * *

  
Everything was not alright. Jack currently sat in his office, face in his hands as he groaned loudly. As soon as he had set foot into his office, his superiors had been bugging him and dropping new projects, new deadlines, new emails, new new new- it had been too overwhelming. He dragged his hands through his hair, dull nails scratching at his skull as he let out slow and deep breaths. He needed to calm down, to keep a level head, though that was hard.  
  
Another constant in his life had been his anger issues - his mental state’s willingness to snap from alright to rage-induced blackout was always an issue. Inhaling deeply through his nose as his eye twitched, he rubbed his mark, and he went back to work. He needed a level head more than ever - Tassiter had announced that he would be doing a walkthrough of his department and checking on current projects later that day, and Jack couldn’t afford to lose his cool in front of his boss.  
  
He rubbed his temples as he attempted to find things through the mess that was his files. He really needed a PA of some kind, someone to help him with keeping everything on track through all of this mess. He would bring that up to the big man at some point, but for now, he needed to focus, he needed to-  
  
Jack shot up as the door to his office flew open, Tassiter and a few of the other board members walking in as they spoke among themselves. He cleared his throat and stood to greet them, walking around his desk and to the front with a forced yet convincing smile.  
  
“Ah, Gentlemen! How can I help you today?” A business voice on, he spoke clearly and confidently, not faltering when Tassiter looked at him with a quirked brow, “Are you enjoying your walkthrough of the department?”  
  
Tassiter looked him over, radiating a smug aura as he walked around to Jack’s desk, inspecting it as he spoke, “It’s just fine, Lawrence. Your staff appears to be in tip-top-” He popped the p obnoxiously, causing Jack’s eye to twitch, “-shape. Many of your employees seem to be on top of their projects, which is surprising.” He looked up from whatever he was touching [ On Jack’s fucking desk. ] to look at the other, his mouth in a straight line. Jack raised an eyebrow, letting out a small chuckle.  
  
“Why is that surprising, Sir? I make sure all of my employees are working the best they can, no matter the circumstances.” He gave his boss a tight smile, squeezing and unsqueezing his hand into a fist behind his back. Over the multiple cycles, he had learned that just punching someone, just going to hurt them out of nowhere, was not a good idea, especially if he wasn’t back on Helios. He didn’t appreciate how smugly Tassiter spoke down to him, even if it seemed to be masked behind a grateful guise. The older man let out a small hum from the back of his throat as he walked back to the small group of board members that came in with him.  
  
“Yes, well, you are relatively new to this position, It’s just surprising you are able to control your employees so easily so quickly.” He straightened out his tie. “It’s just interesting, that’s all. Anyways,” Tassiter rolled his shoulders, seemingly not being able to keep still, “Judging based on how quickly your department is growing, I have decided to hire a PA for you. Someone to keep you on your toes.” He gave a sleazy grin, his eyebrows raising, “I’m sure you’ll just love him. He’ll be in by the end of the week.” The boss turned towards the door, staring his way out.  
  
“That is all.”  
  
The doors shut behind the group and Jack let out a heavy breath, slumping back against his desk and massaging his temples with his dominant hand, his hair falling in his face slightly. How fun.  



	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's him. He's finally here.

Jack’s foot tapped against the dirt, his sunglasses perched on his nose as he watched from the sidelines of the field, the football team practicing for their upcoming game. He was only there to support his friend Nisha, watching her as she ran across the field at her teammate. Sports weren’t exactly his thing - he didn’t have a full grasp on how football worked outside of Throw the Ball.    
  
Not that’d he’d admit that.   
  
Letting out a breath, he pulled out his phone and check the time - 5:36. School had ended around two hours ago and practice tended to go on for around three. He never tended to stay for too long - He had work afterward and if he didn’t, he had homework. Looking back up to the field, he let out a shrill whistle, catching Nisha’s attention. He made a motion signaling he was leaving, waited for her to wave, and turned on his heel, walking out of the field and towards the parking lot.    
  
Clicking his car’s unlock button, he noticed someone struggling to carry a large model of- what was that? Some sort of futuristic building, he had to guess. Whatever it was, it seemed heavy, and judging from the lanky arms wrapped around it, the kid was barely strong enough to carry it. Letting out a noise from his throat, Jack jogged over, placing his hands under it and lifting it for the other. The kid let out a slightly startled noise as he looked around, his eyes wide.   
  
Jack’s breath caught in his throat as he looked into the other’s mismatched eyes, his hands shaking suddenly as he tried to keep a grip on the model. He quickly regained his composure as he stared at the taller man, swallowing thickly before giving a toothy grin.   
  
“Seemed like you were havin’ a rough time trying to carry this- Thought I’d help somehow.” His voice seemed normal but if you knew Jack, you’d know it was layered in something unseen. Anxiety, excitement, and uncertainness bubbled in his throat as the other man smiled at him, rubbing the back of his neck with a black bionic prosthetic sheepishly. Jack’s breath hitched as the other spoke, his heart drumming against his ribs hard.   
  
“Aw, thanks. I’m sorry- I just have to carry this to my car-” His voice was uncertain but thankful, dimples present on his cheeks. Jack nodded, his mouth dry as he tried to speak.    
  
He hadn’t expected to see his soulmate today.   
  


* * *

 

The sound of his phone buzzing as someone attempted to contact him brought Jack back to earth, his attention snapping back from his memories. It was now Friday- The end of the week. Scrambling to grab his phone, hs quickly answered it, bringing it to his ear as he ran a hand over his face. He quickly withdrew it as he felt wetness, his eyes widening slightly. Was he crying?   
  
“Yes?” His voice cracked slightly, making him cringe as he cleared his throat, “Hello?”   
  
He sat up slightly as Angel’s voice filtered through the speaker, seeming slightly annoyed.    
  
“Hey- Dad? Are you okay?” She seemed concerned, obviously picking up on his tone. It was rare that he cried - if he was crying, something horrible had happened or he was finally pushed over the edge. He chewed his lip before responding, nodding to himself before realizing she couldn’t see.   
  
“Yes, Cupcake, I’m fine. What’s up, why’d you call?” He rested his phone between his shoulder and ear as he quickly got back to work, going through reports sent to him by his employees as he was caught up in his memories. She let out an uncertain noise in his ear - she obviously didn’t believe him but she knew not to push.   
  
“Uh,” She paused for a moment, the sound of things ruffling on her end reaching his ears, “I can’t find my keys. I coulda swore they were in the kitchen or like on the coffee table, but they’re not and that’s kinda aggravating.” She let out a noise as she stood up straight, opening the cabinet on the wall. “It’s not that big of a deal, I could walk to school, but I’d rather not, seeing as it’s 48 degrees with-” He could hear her looking through the blinds “-not a single fuckin’ peek of the sun in the sky.”   
  
He hummed in agreement, trying to think of spots it could be. “Have you checked next to your bed?” Angel gave a hum to signify yes, “Uh, bathroom?”   
  
“Dad, why would my keys be in the bathroom?”   
  
“I don’t know Angel- If you can’t find them, That’s okay, I’ll run back to the house during lunch-” He looked at the time - 2:54. His lunch was in six minutes, easy. He stood and pulled on his jacket, grabbing his keys and humming into the phone. “Which is now. I’ll come after I grab some food, m’kay?” She thanked him, the sound of cabinets closing overlaying her words.   
  
“Let me know when you’re on your way, I don’t wanna be in the shower or something when you walk in.” He hummed before saying goodbye and hanging up, heading towards his door and swinging it open. He let out a startled noise as someone- No, he knew who it was - stood in front of him with wide eyes, a prosthetic hand raised to knock on the door. His mouth felt dry and his breath caught in his throat as mismatched eyes stared into mismatched eyes. He stepped back slightly as he took in the boy in front of him. Tassiter had said his new PA would be in by the end of the week but he didn’t think-    
  
Why didn’t he think, though? They continued to meet in ways like this when it came to lives with Hyperion in them. Rhys was either his PA, the owner of Atlas or, in some poor twist of fate, the owner of Hyperion as Jack went along for the digital ride. He swallowed thickly as the man spoke.   
  
“Uh- Mr. Lawrence, right?” There was a beat of silence before Jack nodded, “I’m Rhys- I’m your new PA.” He gave Jack a toothy smile that made his chest hurt, wanting to do nothing more than scoop him up off his feet and kiss him deeply- Jack missed him, he missed Rhys so terribly- so painfully- for most of his life. Ever since He started getting his memories from their lives back, he missed Rhys and always thought that when he saw him for the first time in this cycle, it would be somewhere less stressful- less crowded. Somewhere where he could do nothing but pay attention to him for hours on end.    
  
Jack regained his composure before pushing past Rhys and closing his door, looking at him from the side of his eye. “Ah- Hey, Kiddo, you caught me as I was goin’ to get food.” He shot him a small smile, turning to look at his soulmate- god, he really was here. “Wanna come along? I was just gonna grab some Steak and Shake and head home to do somethin’ real fast.”   
  
Why was he inviting Rhys to his home already? To see Angel? He didn’t know this cycle’s personality, how he acted- how could he trust him so wholly already? He swallowed and turned as Rhys responded, walking towards the elevators as his PA trailed behind.   
  
“I could go for something to eat, yeah- thank you. Mr. Tassiter said that today would just be an orientation for me- so I could learn the ropes around your office and how your schedule worked.” Jack glanced back to see Rhys scrolling through his phone, most likely going through some kind of checklist as he had in cycles prior. Jack pressed the button for the elevator and waited, humming.    
  
“Alright, Then I’ll show you the ropes today, Rhysie.”   
  


* * *

  
“-And that’s why you don’t piss off your boss.” Jack rolled his shoulders as he bit into his burger, noting Rhys’ small snort as he pushed his empty plate away. They were currently sitting at Steak and Shake again during their lunch break, a few days having passed since Rhys had joined Jack in his office. He couldn’t help but sneak a few glances, a few hopeless looks, at Rhys as they worked. The younger man had already organized Jack’s schedule - He was on top of everything the older one had to do that month. It definitely took some of the stress out of his day, but not a lot. He worked at Hyperion after all.   
  
Jack leaned back in his seat as he finished his burger, wiping off his face as he let out a breath, chewing on his lip. Over the little time they had spent together, Rhys had shown no signs of remembering or knowing who Jack was before they met thus cycle, and that put a dent in Jack’s heart. He knew that not everyone remembered the things they had gone through in past lives, in fact, it was pretty rare for anyone to remember their previous cycles outside of a few dreams once in a blue moon - which made Jack feel even lonelier in his love. He wanted to tell Rhys, he wanted to tell him so horribly, but he had no idea how to. How do you bring up the fact that you believe your employee is your soulmate? That you have memories of you two together, raising Angel, ruling the world, fighting to live through an apocalypse, and so much more.    
  
How?   
  
He was brought to his senses as Rhys cleared his throat, grabbing his bag and phone before standing, looking at Jack with a small smile.   
  
“Well, our break is about to end and I don’t think we want to be out for too long lest we piss off Tassiter.” He gave a toothy grin as Jack stood, heading over to pay for their meal. This was a thing they did now - trade off paying for food. If Jack could, he’d buy everything for Rhys, but he wasn’t made of money yet. He was the head of Programming, but that was nothing compared to what he used to make as leader of Hyperion. He wanted to get back to that point, if not for his own ego, but for Angel and Rhys.    
  
As they stepped out of the restaurant, Jack’s phone buzzed rapidly. He quickly pulled it out of his jacket pocket, answering it without looking at the name.   
  
“Hello?” His boss’s loud voice boomed from the speaker, resulting in Jack quickly pulling the phone from his ear and Rhys grimacing next to him as the walked to the car.    
  
“Lawrence, where the fuck are you? We have a meeting right now and if you aren’t here in ten minutes, there will be a price to pay.” The line went dead before Jack could get a word out and he shot a look towards Rhys, who looked panicked. The younger pulled out his phone, scrolling through the schedule before shaking his head.   
  
“There’s no meeting today- unless he scheduled it without telling you, there’s absolutely nothing on the schedule aside from a note about a project being due next week,” Jack grunted as he got into his car, starting it as soon as Rhys got in and quickly driving off, “Though I wouldn’t put it past him to schedule something on such short notice…”    
  
Although Rhys had only been with Jack and the company for a few days, he had quickly grown to understand how the CEO worked. Jack had to guess that his quick learning was a passed down trait from past cycles - that brought a small smile to his face as he pulled into the parking and checked the time. They had five minutes to get up to the meeting or face whatever bullshit Tassiter would dish out to them. He quickly pulled into a spot and got out of the car, rushing into the building with Rhys on his heels.    
  
They quickly made it to the designated meeting room, slamming into the room as Jack panted, out of breath. The other staff members currently there jumped, startled as Jack and Rhys walked in, quickly finding their seats as the older one slumped down into his, Tassiter sitting across from him with a smug smirk.   
  
He fucking hated his job.   
  


**Author's Note:**

> Jesus, this took a while to write. I hope it's alright! Thank you to anyone who reads this and sticks through it - I love writing but I'm not very confident.


End file.
